edna lewis’s corn muffins

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons butter, plus 2 tablespoons melted butter

2 ½ cups corn flour or extra-fine cornmeal (not cornstarch)

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon baking powder

2 ½ cups buttermilk, room temperature

1 egg, beaten

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400. Generously grease the wells of a 12-well muffin pan or two 6-well muffin pans with 2 tablespoons of butter, leaving the extra butter in the wells. 

In a mixing bowl, whisk together the corn flour, salt, baking soda and baking powder.

When the oven is hot, place the greased muffin tin inside to preheat. 

Meanwhile, stir the room temp buttermilk into the dry ingredients and mix well. Then stir in the beaten egg and 2 tablespoons of melted butter. 

When the muffin pan is very hot (the butter should have just stopped sizzling), carefully remove it. Quickly fill each well with batter, distributing evenly (about 3 ounces of batter into each).

Bake for 17-20 minutes, rotating once, until a toothpick comes out clean and the edges of the muffins are golden brown.

Remove from the oven and let the pan cool for 2 minutes on a rack, then remove the muffins. (If necessary, use a paring knife to release them.) 

Serve muffins hot, with butter.

Makes 12